Residents waiting for news on the long-awaited redevelopment of a Solihull shopping precinct can expect an update in the next couple of months.

Proposals to rebuild the ageing Kingshurst Parade have suffered a number of delays, with local people having voiced their frustration that previous plans had fallen through and that the schedule had been pushed back as a result.

The completion of schemes in neighbouring communities over the past few years has added to tensions.

Kingshurst Parade

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In 2017, following a public consultation, Solihull Council said it was committed to demolishing the current Parade and forging ahead with a brand-new complex, which would include shops, housing and community facilities.

Now it has been confirmed that a planning brief for the Kingshurst project - part of the wider North Solihull Regeneration - is in the process of being prepared.

A council spokesman said: "This forms a stepping stone between the provisions of the development plan (planning policy) and the requirements of a planning application; and is a necessary step towards obtaining a compulsory purchase order (CPO), which is needed to acquire the land to deliver the scheme."

The local authority is planning to consult on the proposed planning brief in February/March, at which stage it is also expected to confirm the latest timetable for the development.

Previous committee reports, prepared by the council's own officers, have conceded that the Parade is dated and suffering from falling custom.

Shoppers have also cited concerns that the current site, built decades ago to serve the then new housing estate, has become a magnet for anti social behaviour.